WA Goes Digital: The Strategy Set to Transform Industry

From a quiet shift in boardrooms to a bold state-level move, Western Australia has just formalised a digital plan designed to reshape industry. It is not a cosmetic update. It is a statement: the state intends to lead, not follow, in the age of digital transformation. The finalisation of the WA “Digitally Evolved” strategy signals a moment where ambitions meet accountability—and where WA’s future competitiveness is being bet on technology, connectivity, and capacity.

In this article I walk you through what the plan includes, why it matters, and what it means for businesses large and small. More importantly, I argue that this is a turning point for identity: for a state to say it aims not just to adopt digital tools, but to become digital in its core.

The architecture of an ambitious strategy

On 27 August 2024, the Government of Western Australia launched its Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy WA: Digitally Evolved, aimed at boosting the digitisation of industries and businesses across the state. Inside State Government The government frames the plan as filling a gap in its broader digital agenda—complementing its existing government-digital transformation strategy and a blueprint for inclusion, this new strategy focuses squarely on industrial capacity and business readiness. Inside State Government

At its heart the strategy rests on three interlocking goals:

1. Growing a vibrant digital sector in WA

2. Elevating the digital capability of WA businesses

3. Enabling full industry transformation through digital technologies Inside State Government

These are not vague aspirations. The plan identifies five priority areas refined through broad consultation:

• advocacy and education

• advisory and technical support

• finance and supply opportunities

• data and digital facility sharing

• opportunity facilitation Inside State Government

One of the government’s compelling arguments is economic: research cited in the announcement suggests that highly digitally engaged businesses can earn 60 percent more revenue per employee than less digitally mature ones. Inside State Government And in WA the digital sector already employs over 60,000 people—growing at 2.6 times the rate of the state’s overall workforce. Inside State Government

These facts alone would justify bold policy. What gives this plan its weight is its recognition that digital transformation is not add-on; it must be systemic. Elements like shared infrastructure, data exchange, co-investment, capability building, and financial incentives are built into the architecture rather than tacked on at the end.

Why this matters — and what could make or break it

To appreciate the stakes, we must see past the tech gloss and into the systems that underlie WA’s industries. Much of the state’s economy depends on extractive industries, logistics, remote operations, energy, agriculture, and supply chains that stretch across harsh landscapes. In such domains, digital tools—automation, predictive analytics, remote monitoring, AI, robotics—are not optional. They can shift margins, extend uptime, anticipate failure, and reduce risk in ways traditional methods cannot.

But to deliver on those possibilities, three structural conditions must hold:

• Capacity at the edges: Regional and remote businesses must have access to infrastructure (broadband, satellite, edge computing). Without that, digital strategies will stall at the city fringe.

• Human skill development: Technology is inert without people who understand, maintain, adapt. The strategy’s education and advisory priority must invest deeply in talent pipelines, retraining, and lifelong learning.

• Trust and interoperability: Data sharing, facility sharing, supply networks—all depend on trust protocols, standards, cybersecurity, and regulatory coherence. If parties fear leakage, lack clarity, or see digital investment as too complex, the “opportunity facilitation” will lag.

History shows that many digital plans falter not because the ambition is wrong but because the incentives misalign or the capability gap is underestimated. WA has a chance to sidestep those pitfalls by anchoring the strategy in measurable milestones, transparent governance, and iterative review.

Another risk lies in equity. Digital transformation can exacerbate divides—between businesses with resources and those without, between urban and remote, between established firms and innovators. The advocacy, advisory, and finance priorities must include targeted support for those groups often left behind.

The domino effect — what WA industries and business should watch

If the strategy succeeds, the dominoes start to fall in ways that change both competitive dynamics and local identity. A few ripple effects to watch:

• New business models emerge: Legacy firms may be forced to rethink their value proposition, embracing platforms, data services, predictive models, or hybrid products rather than pure commodity provision.

• Ecosystems will consolidate: Tech hubs, incubators, research institutions, startups, industry consortia may re-align around emergent clusters. WA could become a magnet for digital talent and investment in the region.

• Global relevance shifts: WA will not just compete domestically. With digital capacity enhanced, its firms may access overseas markets more dynamically and connect along global supply chains with less friction.

• Culture of agility: Organizations will need to adopt iterative, experiment-oriented mindsets. The rigidity of traditional planning may give room to agile practice, cross-disciplinary teams, and rapid prototyping.

For business leaders, the message is urgent: this is not a moment to sit back. Those who prepare—for change, disruption, technological integration—are most likely to be the beneficiaries. Align early. Invest in capability. Partner strategically.

Final Thoughts

The finalisation of WA’s Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy is not just a policy announcement. It is a pivot point. It is the state’s declaration that digital will be central to its identity—not peripheral. The ambition is real; the promise is high. But promise is meaningless without execution, trust, and capacity.

For business, industry and community alike, the choice now is whether to be passengers in a transformation or architects of one. TMFS believes that transformation guided by clarity, purpose and measurement is the only path forward. We see in WA’s plan a template—not perfect, but deliberate—for how government, industry and technology can coalesce to regenerate economies, uplift capability, and reimagine what is possible.

Let us observe this plan critically, hold it to account, and support what works. Let early adopters lead, but let no one be left behind. In the coming years WA’s future will increasingly trace its path through digital. Let us make that path resilient, inclusive and intelligent.

If you are a WA business, consider now: where is your digital maturity? What gaps need closing? How might you partner with others to scale capability? Begin mapping that course today—because transformation is not waiting.

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